Michel Foucault's 100th Birthday: Revisiting Herculine Barbin and the 19th-Century Sex Scandal
In 1978, Michel Foucault published a book titled Herculine Barbin dite Alexina B., which collected archival documents about a person born in France in 1838. This individual was raised as a girl and later declared male by doctors and authorities. The book is now known in German as Über Hermaphrodismus. The case of Barbin was central to Foucault's research, and his findings remain foundational for discussions on identity, sexuality, and gender. On the occasion of Foucault's 100th birthday, it is worth rereading his book on Barbin, as well as Barbin's own memoirs. Barbin's perspective on her own life reveals that Foucault's view was also narrow. The article appears in the current issue of Der Freitag.
Key facts
- Herculine Barbin was born in France in 1838.
- Barbin was raised as a girl and later declared male by doctors and authorities.
- Michel Foucault published Herculine Barbin dite Alexina B. in 1978.
- The book is now titled Über Hermaphrodismus in German, published by Suhrkamp.
- Foucault's findings are foundational for discussions on identity, sexuality, and gender.
- The article suggests Foucault's perspective was narrow.
- It is Foucault's 100th birthday.
- The article is in the current issue of Der Freitag.
Entities
Artists
- Michel Foucault
- Herculine Barbin
- Alexina B.
Institutions
- Suhrkamp
- Der Freitag
Locations
- France